Boat windshields are conventionally made (for example see U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,750,449 and 3,810,267), using a frame which is sealed to glass or other transparent material. The frame is constructed (typically of metal, such as aluminum, extrusions) having a number of sides which define an inwardly facing channel, with corners between the sides, and having a generally polygonal configuration (typically triangular, quadrate, or trapezoidal). A piece of substantially rigid or semi-rigid transparent boat windshield material (of glass, tempered glass, acrylic, plastic, or the like) is held to the frame by a flexible gasket material disposed in the channel on each of the sides of the frame. Typically the gasket material is cut and fit at the joints (corners) during construction of the windshield, a highly labor intensive process. This requires a significant amount of caulk to be provided at the corners in order to facilitate sealing of the windshield material so that water will not pass between the frame corners, and between the frame and the gasket material, but even with a large amount of caulk, because of the cut and fit nature of the joints adjacent the corners the seal provided is not leakproof, and has a tendency to degrade with time, vibration and/or shipping and installation stresses.
According to the present invention the labor costs associated with the manufacture of boat windshields as described above can be significantly reduced in a very simple way. At the same time a more leakproof seal, which will not significantly degrade with time, vibration, and/or shipping and installation stresses, is provided. These significant advantages are achieved according to the present invention merely by substituting a flexible gasket material which comprises an integral, single piece of material (typically elastomeric material) having continuous and integral corner interfaces corresponding to and disposed within the channel of the frame with the corners between the frame sides. Typically the gasket material body sections are extrusions and the corners are transfer molded (transfer molding being a well known process, per se, for molding plastic materials, particularly elastomeric articles such as gaskets, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,140,470 and the art cited therein) so that the body sections are integral at the corners.
Therefore, according to one aspect of the present invention a boat windshield is provided comprising the following components: A frame having at least first and second (and typically also third) sides each of which defines an inwardly facing channel, and corners between the sides, (e.g. the frame having a generally polygonal configuration). A flexible gasket material disposed in the channel of each of the sides of the frame. A piece of substantially rigid or semi-rigid transparent boat windshield sheet material received by the flexible gasket material, with the frame surrounding the gasket material and windshield material, for sealing the windshield material so that water substantially will not pass between the frame and the gasket material. The flexible gasket material comprises an integral single piece of material having continuous and integral corner interfaces corresponding to and disposed within the channel of the frame, the gasket corners at the frame corners between the frame sides. And means for connecting the frame to a boat, so that the frame, gasket, and windshield material define a boat windshield.
The means for connecting the frame to a boat may be a conventional integral extrusion portion of the frame (of any configuration, including as in Muhlberger U.S. Pat. No. 4,750,449), an extra component attached to one or more frame sides by adhesive, clamps, or mechanical fasteners, or the plain frame itself where the frame is fit into a channel on a boat and clamped and/or screwed in place.
Preferably the gasket material is (as conventional) elastomeric, such as natural or synthetic rubber compounds (which are thermosetting materials) or flexible polyvinyl chloride (or like thermoforming materials). The gasket material corners are preferably transfer molded while the body sections are extrusions. The frame may comprise three sides and the gasket is then substantially triangular in configuration, or the frame may comprise four sides and the gasket is substantially quadrate (rectangular or square) or trapezoidal in configuration; or a larger number of frame sides may be provided; and the frame sides need not be linear (e.g. may be curved or semicircular). Typically only a small amount of caulk is provided between the frame corners to seal the corners of the frame, although according to the present invention it may be possible to use no caulk at all. The small amount of caulk according to the present invention should be compared to the conventional boat windshields which have cut and fit joints where the amount of caulk provided therein is three or more times the volume of the small amount of caulk provided according to the invention. That is, the small amount of caulk used according to the present invention is about a third or less of the amount of caulk conventionally used in cut and fit gasket joints.
According to another aspect of the present invention a labor saving method of manufacturing a windshield from a frame having a plurality of sides with an inwardly facing channel at each side, a transparent substantially or semi-rigid piece of windshield material (e.g. glass), and an integral one piece gasket of flexible (e.g. elastomeric) material and having integral corners, is provided. The method comprises the following steps: (a) Forming an integral one piece gasket of flexible material and having integral corners. (b) Fitting the piece of transparent windshield material into operative connection with the gasket so that the one piece gasket surrounds the exterior of the windshield material. And (c) without having to cut and fit the gasket material corners, inserting the gasket material into the inwardly facing channels of each of the frame sides so that the gasket substantially prevents water from passing between the frame and transparent windshield material in a completed boat windshield.
Step (a) is typically practiced by placing the extruded body sections in a transfer mold, and by injecting elastomeric material into the transfer mold to effect transfer molding of the corners of the flexible (preferably elastomeric) material integral with the body sections. There is also typically the further step of connecting the frame to a boat so that the frame, gasket and windshield material function as a boat windshield. There is also the further step of placing a small amount of, caulk at the frame corners. Step (c) is typically practiced by assembling a plurality of distinct frame side elements into a substantially polygonal frame, and fastening the frame side elements together.
The invention also relates to a boat windshield mounted on a boat and constructed by the process as described above, and including installation of the windshield on a boat.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a simple, advantageous, labor saving method of producing a boat windshield, and boat windshield, which boat windshield is more leakproof than conventional boat windshields having cut and fit gasket joints, and has a seal that will not significantly degrade with time, vibration, and/or shipping and installation stresses (which degradation commonly occurs in conventional boat windshields with cut and fit gasket joints). This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention and from the appended claims.